Zariana:Dating Adventures
by a-novelty-romance
Summary: One shots of Mariana and Zac's relationship: the ups and downs, the challenges they face, things they learn from dating, and all around cute moments between the two; Please review
1. Bowling Fun

It was a Friday night and Mariana, Jesus, Zac, and Lexi all decided to go bowling. Lexi was in town and she, Mariana, and Jesus met up with Zac at the alley.

"Hey," he greeted them!

"Hey," Mariana walked over to him, pecking his lips and the 4 of them went to get their bowling shoes and a lane."

* * *

"Quit it," Mariana said playfully! "I'm trying to put in the names," she giggled as she slapped away Zac's hand for about the fourth time.

Mariana was entering the names into the scoreboard, or at least trying to, as Zac tried hitting other keys while Mariana typed. It had taken her 3 times to type in _Lexi _and as Zac continued to tap other letters, she had typed in his name as _Zax_.

"It is staying that way," she laughed.

They laughed together having fun. But their laughter was quickly interrupted as Jesus shouted over to them.

"Hurry up, Mariana! It doesn't take that long to enter 4 names."

Mariana looked at Jesus with furrowed brows. She turned to face the computer and put the cursor behind Jesus's name. She hit backspace and typed _Doofus_ in place of Jesus' name.

"Ready to lose," Mariana questioned challengingly?!

"Strike," Jesus swung his arms up as he hit all 10 pins!

Lexi clapped her hands together.

"Killed it," she high fived him with both of her hands and they joined hands as they walked back to their seats.

"Beginner's luck," she said as she walked up to get her ball.

Mariana concentrated; she threw the ball and waited._ 6 pins._

"Boo," Jesus called out, as he was lightly slapped in the shoulder by Lexi.

Mariana focused more her second turn. _SPARE!_

"Woo," Mariana jumped waving her arms above her head, an action said to be quite nerdy by Jesus. Zac had smiled at her mild dance party.

It was now Zac's turn. He stood in front of the lane waiting nervously. Truth be told: he wasn't the greatest bowler and he didn't wanna look lame in front of Mariana. He tapped his left hand against the ball nervously, looking in every direction, but the pins. He walked up and released the ball from his hand, stumbling as it left. The ball went straight down the gutter. Zac's face dropped.

"You'll get 'em next time," Mariana encouraged, "just aim for the middle."

He went to get his ball for his second throw, trying to calm down and prepare to hit some pins. He tried to have a better form in his throw this time. He threw it, placing one foot behind the other. _Just 1 pin,_ he hoped... _Gutter._ He went back to his seat, felling defeated and ashamed. Lexi got up to take her turn.

"We still got a long way to go; don't worry," Mariana tried making him feel better. _A long way to go_, he thought.

* * *

They had just finished the ninth frame. Zac had hit all of 11 pins: 1 in the third frame, 2 in the fifth, 7 by luck in the sixth as Mariana tried giving him pointers at the exact moment he let go, and 1 in the seventh frame.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to drink; do you guys want anything," Zac asked, excusing himself from the embarrassing situation?

Jesus shook his head. "Can you get me a water," Mariana asked?

Lexi had just finished her turn as Zac went to get the drinks and Jesus went up for his turn.

"He is not having fun at all, is he," Lexi sat down by Mariana?

"Jesus," Mariana asked clueless?

"No, not Jesus; Zac," Lexi said gesturing her eyes in his direction.

"Oh! I mean, I know he's not bowling so great and he seems a little embarrassed about it, but do you think he completely hates this?"

"He wants to impress you," Lexi stated surely. "You're not doing such a good job of making him feel like '_the guy'_," she told Mariana.

"_The guy?"_

"Yeah; guys need to feel, you know, macho," she made fists with her hands, "they need to be better than you in sports and... guy stuff."

"Why," Mariana asked?

"It's a guy thing," Lexi said quickly as Jesus was finishing his turn.

Jesus came back to his seat as Lexi smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder. Mariana then got up for her turn and Zac came back just in time.

"Oh; this ball is so heavy," Mariana pretended to struggle as she lifted it.

Lexi shook her head, trying to hold back laughter, as Mariana took her advice way too extremely.

Zac was too busy setting her drink down to notice. She walked up to the lane and awkwardly rolled the ball down it. Zac furrowed his brows in confusion. The ball slowly made its way toward the pins. She still ended up knocking down 2 pins.

"Wow, Mariana, that was.. great, Jesus stood up clapping his hands together in mockery, still think you're gonna win?"

"I still have another turn left, you know," she said in annoyance.

Jesus sat back down, she got another ball, and shifted in her wedges throwing the ball directly into the gutter.

"Now would be the appropriate time for the slow clap," Jesus stood again as Mariana hit no pins. Mariana made her way back to her seat between Zac and Lexi and took her water. "Thanks," she said.

It was Zac's turn again. He took a sip of his drink and slowly made his way to pick up a bowling ball. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and threw the ball in his awkward stance. It rolled speedily down the lane very near the gutter, looking like it was about to be 0 pins again. Mariana watched it roll, her hands folded under her chin. Suddenly, the ball curved toward the middle and slowly, but surely 9 pins fell forward on the shiny, wooden floor. Zac was in complete shock and his jaw dropped as he stared at the pins lying there.

"Ahhhh," Mariana screamed and ran up to hug him!

Realization sunk in and he picked her up and spun her around in his arms. She pecked his lips mid-twirl. People looked at them as if they were crazy. He continued to spin her. Lexi had already jumped up when the pins knocked down; she had a huge smile plastered to her face. Jesus still sat, but couldn't help but grin; Lexi looked down at him and he tried to hide it, rolling his eyes. Zac set Mariana down and she continued to cheer.

"Okay," Jesus snapped them out of it, "Zac still has one more turn left."

"Right," Mariana remembered.

Zac went to take his second turn, still on a high from his first. He was feeling confident now and even put some effort into his formation. He released the ball and it sped down the lane. It looked like it was going to get the last remaining pin, but instead it curved at the last possible moment. _Gutter._ His smile faded.

"You got 9 pins," Mariana shrieked reminding him! She ran up to him and he lifted her off the ground yet again.

* * *

After bowling, they all got something to eat at the alley and they sat down talking and laughing. Later, Lena picked them up and took them home, agreeing to take Zac home in an hour.

Zac and Mariana stood at the front door, finishing their kiss.

"So I was gonna ask, before all the excitement.. um.. you seemed kind of.. off.." Zac tried to question her.

"Yeah," Mariana said knowing where he was going with this, "I thought you weren't having fun, because.. I don't know, you weren't bowling so great and I wanted you to feel better.. to feel like 'the guy' and…"

"_The guy,"_ Zac asked, cutting Mariana off from her rambling? "I didn't know I wasn't one," he said laughing.

"No," Mariana struggled to get out what she was trying to say, "I just thought…"

"Mariana," Zac cut her off, "I'm not some competitive guy who needs to beat his girlfriend at every sport to prove some sort of.. manliness.. and, yeah, I felt a little.. embarrassed… but, I had fun…the entire time… with you. Mariana leaned up and kissed him.


	2. I Heart Mommy

From this point on Zac will not be moving to Arizona (at least not right now). I started this one-shot before the dance episode. This chapter begins with a lot of Zac and Amanda, but there is some cute Zariana toward the end. Read and enjoy. I appreciate all reviews.

* * *

Zac stood in front of the mirror adjusting his suit jacket, which was 2 sizes too big. It was his dad's, 1 of the many still hanging in his mom's closet. He didn't know why she had kept them all these years. Maybe she'd held a false sense of hope that he would one day come back. As Zac stared at his reflection in the mirror, a figure came into view behind him.

"You look like you're father," she said in monotone detestation.

"I…I was looking through dad's old clothes for something to wear to the dance," Zac stuttered feeling the need to explain as he adjusted the jacket yet again.

"Zachary," Amanda almost shouted, "that jacket's much too big," she finished with a lighthearted laugh! "C'mon let's find you a better fit," she waved her hand! "I can just go get my special stash of cash and we can go to the mall."

"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that, really," Zac stopped her before she could get out the door.

"Nonsense," she waved him off, "you're going to this thing with Mariana, right?"

"Yeah," Zac said more as question rather than a statement.

"Great. Anything for my future daughter-in-law," she practically squealed running out the door.

* * *

"Mom, you really didn't have to come. I mean you could've just dropped me off," Zac said as he walked beside his mom through the mall, looking around for anyone he knew.

If anyone saw him shopping with his mom…in the words of Mariana: he'd just DIE.

"So does Mariana have a dress, yet," Amanda asked?

"Yeah, she showed it to me last week; it's black so it shouldn't be too hard to match."

"You should get her flowers. Be a gentleman," she lightly smacked his shoulder.

Zac had just come out of the dressing room in a brown, leather suit as his mother adjusted it.

"You need to make sure it's not too small or it won't look right when you lift your arms," she told him.

Zac looked up to notice a group of familiar faces.

"Oh no," Zac said to himself.

"Are those your friends from school," his mom asked?

"Not exactly."

Chase squinted looking over in their direction as Zac hung his head in shame.

"Do you wanna go say hi," his mom asked?

"No," Zac said quickly.

"You want me to invite them over," she prodded?

"No," he shook his head repeatedly.

"Hi boys," she had already turned to wave at them!

Chase and his buddies snickered to themselves and mockingly waved back.

Amanda smiled oblivious, while Zac closed his eyes in humiliation.

* * *

"She still waved at them," Mariana asked?

"Yes," Zac exclaimed, "it was embarrassing."

"At least your locker won't be full of panties Monday morning," Mariana made a joke at her expense.

"At least," Zac chuckled.

"So can I see what you got," Mariana asked as she sat on his bed?

"No, you'll see at the dance."

"What? I showed you my dress," Mariana exclaimed.

"You'll see at the dance," he said again.

* * *

Zac showed up, adjusting his jacket as he headed into the gym.

"Hey," he called over to Mariana!

"Hey," she walked over, "you clean up nice."

"Thanks, you too. You look beautiful," he corrected and handed her a rose. "For you," he said.

"Thank you," she giggled.

"It's kinda warm in here. Do you wanna go outside for a little?"

"Sure," she shrugged.

As they walked out, Mariana grabbed his hand as she sniffed the flower he'd gotten her.

"Oh my…what is that?!"

"You've never seen a horse and carriage before," Zac joked?

"Did you do this," she asked him?

"Yeah, I hope you like it," Zac said.

"I love it," Mariana exclaimed! "But, you know, people usually do this for the ride to the dance," she kidded.

"Okay, well I didn't really have a choice," Zac laughed. He led her to the carriage and helped her up.

"Here, you might be cold," he handed her his jacket as they got in their seats."

"Thank you," she accepted and rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh my gosh; this is amazing!"

"Seriously," Zac ensured?

"Seriously!" Mariana leaned up and kissed him.

They rode around for the hour Zac had payed for and returned to the dance for some upbeat songs and a couple slow dances. They had an amazing night full of enjoyment.

* * *

Monday morning they were out of paradise and back at school. Zac strode to his locker before first period. He put in his combination and opened his locker to be surprised by tons of diapers tumbling from it. He picked one up to see the writing on it. "I heart mommy," it said, as he looked over to see Chase and his friends laughing.


	3. Shopping Fun

Short one-shot wherein Zac is bored on a shopping spree with Mariana; uploaded 2 chapters in 1 day since I haven't updated in so long; Enjoy (:

* * *

Mariana walked through Forever 21, touching everything that caught her eye. Zac was closely behind carrying a bright pink bag from Charlotte Russe, as well as a Claire's bag, which lay inside a Kohl's bag.

"Do you think this goes with my pink, floral top," Mariana asked holding up a white, fishnet sweater?

"Which one?"

"Zac! The one you went with me to get last week. Come on, I've been looking for something to go with it."

"Fine, show me the pic on your phone."

Mariana whipped out her cell and scrolled through her outfits organized perfectly in an app she'd gotten last month.

"Oh yeah, that one," Zac remembered. Yeah, that matches," he shrugged.

"Yeah, I thought so," Mariana agreed walking away!

"Where are you going?"

"To try these on," she said holding up a sleeveless, knitted sweater, a pair of high-waisted shorts, and a knee-length, pastel dress.

"It's not gonna take too long is it," Zac droned?

"You can't rush good fashion choices, Zac," Mariana explained heading toward the dressing rooms.

* * *

Zac stood with his head rested against the wall as he waited for Mariana to pop her head out with some other request. First she needed a different size of the dress, then she wanted a different color; after that she opted for a different dress entirely. He'd been waiting for her outside the dressing room for what felt like hours.

"What do you think," he lifted his head as he heard her speak?

Mariana wore a peach, sleeveless body-con dress with black lining.

"Uh…it's…nice…yeah," Zac stuttered searching for words.

"I thought I'd try it on for fun," Mariana told him.

"Mission accomplished," Zac said still incoherent.

"It's way too expensive, but I thought I'd see how it looks," Mariana explained walking towards him. "How do you think it looks," she asked seductively as she slid her hand down his jacket.

"…It looks…nice," Zac said again.

Mariana nodded for a moment. "I think I want to go look in Wet Seal," she abruptly turned to go back into the changing room.

"Have I just been punk'd," Zac whispered to himself as she closed the curtain.


End file.
